


Cherry Bomb

by Thirrin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BAMF Haruno Sakura, F/F, F/M, Multi, Sakura Centric, retired superhero Sakura with PTSD, set final pairing in mind but yet to be announced, superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:25:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9651836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirrin/pseuds/Thirrin
Summary: A recently retired superhero in a new city. Determined to heal from the wounds of her past and settle into life as a civilian, Sakura has sworn off being a hero and moved away from the city she's protected for years. But with the return of a dreaded enemy, she is faced with the decision to either return to her life as a superhero or let her new home and friends suffer.





	1. Regrets

Sometimes, villains could be so cliche.

A secret lair hidden in an underground base, complete with henchmen patrolling the creepy cave and a few bats flying around.

How unimaginative.

Sakura muffled a grunt, dropping down from a rocky ledge as quietly as she could before glancing around to keep an eye out for any guards, her jaw clenched behind her mask. Being quiet wasn't quite her specialty - her usual approach to most situations was to just cause a ruckus and break shit and, while she'd certainly broken a few faces so far, now was the time to be sneaky and not bring any attention to herself.

For weeks, she and her partner, Mind Jumper, had been searching the forest outside the city for the rumored secret base of one of Sakura's - _Cherry Bomb's_ \- most formidable and long-battled villains. While she might have known the villainous Kabuto when she was younger, any fond feelings had long since been destroyed.

The man was a _monster_.

Both he and Cherry Bomb shared a similar power but, while she used her healing abilities to help both her fellow heroes and civilians, _Kabuto_ took his (admittedly impressive) healing power too far.

He'd always been very open about his villainous side. So much so that he had neither a 'secret identity' nor a supervillain persona. He was just Kabuto, a well-known supervillain in the hero community, and had admitted to her, years ago, that he saw no need in hiding behind a mask or pretending to have a life outside of his villainous deeds.

However, despite not really having a villain 'persona', he was often referred to as a crude Dr. Frankenstein because of his monstrous... creations.

He'd always struck her as a mad scientist of sorts when they were younger, but the fact that he used his 'healing' powers to bring life to haphazardly stitched-together creatures, modified with weapons and gadgets, horrified her more than she was willing to admit.

Their similarities didn't stop at the healing powers, however. While they both had astounding intelligence, it wasn't really a superpower - more of just a funny coincidence that they were both _very_ smart. Again, luckily, their contrasting personalities reflected in how they used their abilites - Kabuto used his brain to create his weapons for evil-doing while she used her smarts to aid her allies.

Inwardly, Sakura found great satisfaction and comfort in the fact that their secondary powers were very different. Kabuto could utilize blades of pure energy with a terrifying precision, cutting through flesh easily and even bone (with enough force).

Sakura's super strength was... a little less refined. But she couldn't wait to punch that ever-present, insufferable smirk off of that creep's face (and maybe just send him flying into a wall).

Gritting her teeth, Cherry Bomb scanned her surroundings. Mind Jumper had gone ahead into the lair a while ago, sneaking past guards to the main chamber much more easily while Sakura took up the rear, taking care of any henchmen that would ultimately thwart their escape plans once they dealt with Kabuto.

She was so ready to finally end this - to put a stop to the villain once and for all. Rumor had it that he was up to something _big_ and, while she didn't have all the information, she knew that it couldn't be good.

_"Cherry,"_ Sakura paused, listening carefully to the sound of Mind Jumper's voice through her ear-piece, static crackling slightly, _"I think I'm getting close to Franky's main lab."_

"Got it," She replied, hurrying down an empty hall, "Hang back if you see him, Jumper. Key me in on any news, but just keep an eye on him until I get there."

She could hear Mind Jumper huff over the radio and instantly imagined her rolling those pretty, blue eyes of hers.

_"You don't think I can take him? That big brain of his won't due him much good when I hop in and take control."_

Before Sakura could hiss out a reply, Mind Jumper was quick to continue, a pout pretty evident in her voice.

_"Don't worry, I'm kidding. I'll lay low and watch while I wait for you to catch up. How far-"_ She suddenly cut herself off and Sakura held her breath, listening to the sound of cloth scraping against rock.

_"Shit, I see him."_

"What's the layout like?" She called back, following the directions Mind Jumper had given her earlier when she'd gone ahead. The path to what was probably Kabuto's main lab was pretty straight forward, but the cave had a lot of paths that branched off into dead ends and other tunnels. It would be easy to get lost if she wasn't careful.

_"Big cavern but there's a lot of rocks and stalagmites that provide decent cover. The lab is down in the center, about twenty feet below the cave entrance. Lot of techy shit too - computers and junk. Creepy is near the center, messing with some weird gadgets. Ugh, Cherry, it smells awful in here."_

Nodding to herself, Sakura continued her quiet run down the pathway before skidding to a halt as she turned a corner, suddenly facing a pair of guards. Luckily, she caught them by surprise and, moments after they shouted and scrambled for their weapons, quickly landed a few punches with enough force to knock one out and send the other flying into a wall, the impact rendering him unconscious. She didn't have time to hide the bodies and, muttering a quick curse, she hurried down the hall.

"We're gonna be short on time; someone's gonna notice the henchmen I just took care of and sound an alarm. But, I think I'm almost there."

_"I'm moving closer,"_ came Mind Jumper's voice, as well as the subtle sounds of her movement on her end of the connection. Anticipating Cherry Bomb's reply, she continued, her voice hushed now. _"I need to get a clean shot at him if shit goes down. If he escapes, it'll be weeks of us running around trying to find his new base_ and _more time for him to work on whatever he's planning."_

Sakura sighed, muttering a quick, "Just be careful," before letting the line to go silent. A few more turns and she finally made it into what she assumed was the cave Mind Jumper had mentioned.

Quickly taking cover behind a large outcrop of rocks, she looked for both her partner and Kabuto, tugging her fingerless gloves more firmly onto her hands when she spotted the bastard. He looked as he always did, silver hair pulled back and his glasses gleaming wickedly when the light caught the lenses just right. Gritting her teeth, Sakura searched for Mind Jumper, her gaze eventually catching sight of her blonde hair, the heroine nestled in a cluster of stalagmites a ways ahead of her, dangerously close to Kabuto.

She was just about to call over the radio for her to pull back and regroup when, suddenly, a piercing siren broke the silence of the cave. Kabuto jumped slightly at the sound of the alarm, hurrying over to one of the computer monitors and keying something in before grabbing something off of the table of gadgets. Sakura's eyes narrowed, gaze flickering from the man to Mind Jumper, only to find the blonde no longer hiding amongst the stalagmites. Cursing, she moved to a different vantage point, finally spotting Mind Jumper now a few feet closer to Kabuto, her hands raised in front of her, thumbs touching and her forefingers laced in that odd hand-signal she made when she was about to use her power.

Glancing back to Kabuto, she watched him slip some odd metal band onto his head, electrical lights flickering on a panel near his right ear. His back was turned to Mind Jumper's hiding place and he quickly began gathering what looked like blueprints off of the table, the metal contraption fitted snugly around his head.

_"I'm taking the shot."_ Came the blonde's voice and Sakura tensed, the muffled sounds of hurrying footsteps in the distance.

Before she could tell her to wait, Mind Jumper had used her mind transfer power, attempting to incapacitate Kabuto before his backup came.

However, Cherry Bomb instantly knew something was terribly wrong when the blonde's body didn't slump forward slightly like it normally did when she jumped into someone's head.

Instead, Mind Jumper's scream echoed sharply through the cave and Sakura could only watch in horror as her partner hunched over, her hands flying to her head as she continued to scream.

Just as quickly as it had happened, it ended.

Mind Jumper's body crumpled to the ground and, as Sakura scrambled out of her cover, the pinkette realized that Kabuto had turned to look searchinginly and was heading towards the blonde's unconscious body, a satisfied smirk on his face. Cherry Bomb was too far away to beat him to her partner, her heart pounding in her chest as she raced over the jagged rocks and stalagmites, down to the center of the cavern. She felt her blood run cold as she watched Kabuto drag Mind Jumper's body out of the cluster of rocks she'd been hiding behind, his hand gripping her neck as he held her up off her feet, her limbs dangling freely.

Sakura froze, Kabuto's head turning in her direction and his gaze settling on the pinkette as he smiled. Gaze flickering from his disturbing face to Mind Jumper, she was horrified to realize that there was a faint trail of blood coming from her ears, her blonde braid stained with more blood as well.

"Ah," came Kabuto's voice, her emerald eyes focusing back on him, "There you are. I figured you'd be here. I wasn't sure if this one," Here, he shook Mind Jumper's unconscious body slightly, his grip on her throat tightening dangerously, "would be tagging along, but I'm glad I was prepared." He tapped a finger to the metal band around his head and Sakura's gaze narrowed, her hands clenching into fists as she readied herself to dart forward and attack.

But before she could move, he raised his free hand, his black eyes falling on the blonde in his grip. Cherry Bomb could just barely hear him mutter, "Now, let me take care of the pest," before that familiar blue glow formed around his free hand, creating a wicked blade. His gaze flickering back to Sakura for a moment, he plunged the energy blade into the blonde's middle, slicing through the skin before pulling his hand back, blood quickly flowing from the new wound.

" _JUMPER!"_

Cherry Bomb desperately scrambled over the rocks and Kabuto threw the bleeding blonde away from him, her skull connecting with the rock floor with a sickening _crack._ Blood quickly began to pool around the heroine, both from the gash in her abdomen and the wound on her head from the impact.

Sakura saw _red_.

Barely thinking, she dashed forwards, her fist connecting with Kabuto's face with a satisfying sound and sending him backwards a few feet and down to the ground. Before he could even move to stand up, she was on him, her fist flying towards his form. He just barely managed to roll into a dodge, her punch creating a large crack and decent sized crater in the stone, throwing rock into the air, while the impact seemed to _shake_ the cave itself. Eyes burning with rage, she moved towards him again, not even bothering to dodge the energy blade - or 'scalpel' as he liked to call it - that he swung at her arm before she managed to grab him, swiftly bringing a knee to his gut before holding him up off the ground by the front of his shirt.

_"What_ did you _do_ to her?!"

Kabuto's glasses were shattered and his face was bloody but he still had the _gall_ to grin at her, reaching up to grab the fist that was holding him up. Blood ran freely down her other arm from the cut he'd given her, but she barely noticed, instead pinning him with a ferocious glare.

"I simply deflected that pesky mind transfer ability of hers right back at her."

"What?!"

He sent her a smirk, blood dripping from his nose onto her fist, his feet kicking slightly in the air as he searched for purchase, locking gazes with her through her mask.

"She's trapped in her own mind now. Well, so long as she doesn't bleed out first."

Sakura sent a desperate glance to Mind Jumper's unmoving form, fear flickering through her eyes before she turned her hateful glare back on Kabuto. Her reply was cut off when the cave suddenly shook, dust and rocks falling from the cavern ceiling. She glanced upwards and Kabuto took her moment of distraction to land a kick to her stomach. She grunted, doubling over slightly and quickly releasing him as he formed another energy scalpel around his hand.

She leaned backwards in a dodge as he swung at her again, his smirk only fueling her rage. Righting herself and pulling her fist back, she forced all of her strength into a punch that sent him flying back, impacting the wall hard enough to make the stone crack and cave in slightly. He fell to the ground, wheezing and coughing before the cave shook again, the crack in the wall shooting up.

It was quickly apparent that the cave was starting to _collapse_.

Before Kabuto could move, the ceiling above him crumbled and rubble rained down, large slabs of rock falling to crush him and cut off his cry.

Panting and bleeding, Sakura spared the pile of broken rock only a moment of her attention before she turned on her heel, rushing towards the blonde's prone form.

"Mind Jumper!"

A soft green glow quickly encompassed her hands and Cherry Bomb pressed them to the bleeding gash in her abdomen, desperately calling for her.

"Jumper! Stay with me; you need to wake up!"

There was no response, the blonde's eyes closed and her simple mask still resting perfectly on the upper portion of her face. The cave shook again and Sakura leaned over her partner, shielding her body from any rocks that might fall. A cluster of the stalactites, a few feet away fell and shattered against the stone floor, scattering flying debris. Still trying to stop the bleeding and wake the blonde, Cherry Bomb called to her again, the desperation shaking her voice.

" _Jumper!"_

Rock and rubble continued to fall and more of the ceiling of the cavern began to crack, the rest of the underground base beginning to succumb to the cave-in. Shoving her full-face mask off and tossing it aside as her tears began to fall, expression terrified and voice begging, Sakura gathered her partner's body in her arms.

" _INO!"_

**::**

The emergency teams and a few heroes who had been on call gathered around the secret entrance to the villain, Kabuto's, lair, having followed the signal of the tracker Cherry Bomb had set off before she and her partner had headed into the base. A few cried out in surprise as the ground shook slightly, bits of the mouth of the cave entrance breaking off. All were tense as they watched and waited, ready to rush forward at a moment's notice.

Someone called out when they could see a figure approaching through the clouds of dust, deeper in the cave but rushing towards the entrance as they dodged falling rocks. The heroes remained on guard, ready to fight if the figure proved to be a foe, but a few people in the crowd let out a collective gasp as the person escaping the cave-in came into focus.

They were all quick to recognize Cherry Bomb's pink hair, her ever-present mask turned askew and resting on the side of her head, revealing her face to the crowd. A few of the emergency aid members actually glanced away from her face before they realized that she wasn't alone.

"Medic! I need help _, now!"_

In her arms was the unconscious, bloody body of Mind Jumper. There were a few more gasps in the crowd before people started shouting orders, a couple of the heroes rushing forward to help Cherry Bomb. Tears still ran down her face, but she quickly caught the approaching medics up, telling them that she'd momentarily stopped the bleeding from the wound in Mind Jumpers abdomen, but she had a head injury as well and needed to get to a hospital immediately.

It all went by in a blur. One moment she'd been desperately running through the tunnel passageways, unable to heal a majority of Kabuto's damage with so little time, Mind Jumper in her arms as she tried to outrun the cave-in. The next, she was running through the halls of the emergency room, doctors and nurses shouting as she clutched the blonde's limp hand in her own, her gurney being speedily pushed through the hospital.

Cherry Bomb was forced to stay behind as she watched her partner be hurriedly wheeled through a pair of double doors and out of sight, tears still streaming down her face and she pulled her mask back into place.

**::**

Kakashi sighed to himself, gaze on the disarray of papers on his desk. Sakura sat on the other side, her expression solemn and her mask resting on the desk. He'd seen her face plenty of times before, as one of the few people who knew Sakura as more than the heroine Cherry Bomb, but it was still rare to see her without her mask.

"Are you... sure?"

Sakura nodded sternly, her clenched fists resting on her lap as she stared ahead at Kakashi, a former hero and a dear friend and mentor of hers.

"The past two months have been... difficult." She admitted, gaze dropping down to her lap before resting on her mask. "I can't focus and I've become more of a hindrance than a help. I've... lost my edge."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she held back her tears and Kakashi regarded her with a sympathetic look, waiting for her to continue.

"The nightmares haven't stopped. When I'm out working, if I hear a scream, I freeze up - it sounds so much like _her's_ that everything comes flooding back and," she pauses, eyes clenched shut as her shoulders shook, "I can't do it. Not anymore. Screams, blood, anything seems to trigger it. The memory comes flooding back and I j-just see so much blood - _her blood_ \- and I get so lost in it that... that villains take advantage of my _distraction_ and keep getting away."

He watched her silently and she took a breath, her gaze still cast downwards.

"I can barely sleep. All I see is J-Jumper and that bastard a-and-"

Kakashi cut her off when she started shaking more, glancing back down at the papers on his desk.

"She still hasn't woken up?"

Sakura shook her head, expression grim. That was the one relief she had from everything - Ino was _alive._

Alive, but gone.

She hadn't woken up since that evening in the cave. Alive and healing and stable but just... gone.

The pinkette could only assume that what Kabuto had said was the truth. She was trapped in her own mind, stuck in a coma with no hope of awakening.

Sakura reached up, running her fingers over the back of her bare neck. She could still remember the first moment she'd seen Ino laying in her hospital bed, her long, beautiful, golden blonde braid missing. The emergency team had had to cut her hair for better access to her head wound, cropping it short in an unfamiliar, haphazard style and leaving Sakura to think, for only a moment, that she was looking at a comatose stranger rather than her dear Mind Jumper.

It was startling, to say the least, and she knew that, _when_ Ino awoke - she _had_ to, Sakura wouldn't accept the thought of her staying like this forever - she'd been incredibly annoyed at the loss of her lovely hair.

That night, the pinkette had gone home and cut her own hair as well, taking a pair of scissors to her ponytail and discarding the long, pink locks with an inward promise to keep her hair short until Ino came back.

Over the past two months, Sakura had spent a vast majority of her time at the hospital, watching and waiting and talking to the unconscious blonde, hoping that eventually she'd open her eyes.

But with no such luck, Sakura's work as a hero - and her life in general - had suffered. She was unfocused and numb; she barely slept and had to force herself to eat at times. Her mind was constantly consumed by the memory of that night in Kabuto's lair, the scene replaying over and over again.

She couldn't let the city suffer - she couldn't let innocent lives remain in danger due to her inability to handle her job anymore.

"I'm retiring from being a superhero and fighting crime. I can't be a heroine anymore."

**::**

The next five months went by in a blur.

There had been plenty of alarm when Cherry Bomb had announced her early retirement to her fellow heroes, what few the city of Shirogane had. Many understood her decision and wished her luck in turning to a life of a civilian, offering their support and well-wishes, as well as their sorrow in her leaving.

Luckily, in the months following her impromptu retirement, the city fell into an air of relative peace. Kabuto's minions hadn't resurfaced to cause trouble after the collapse of the base and the death of their leader and the remaining villains in Shirogane were handled by their heroes. And the city flourished.

But Sakura's mind was still darkened.

Everything seemed to have lost its vibrancy. She often passed through the days on autopilot, barely aware of her surroundings. When she wasn't at the hospital - a very special facility that took care of injured superheroes, the staff of which were all sworn to secrecy regarding any unmasked heroes under their care - sitting with Ino either in silence or trying to find something to talk aimlessly about, she was at home, trying to consume her time with distractions from her aching heart.

Mind Jumper's condition hadn't improved. Her wounds had healed, yes, but her mind was still trapped and Sakura had experienced a number of breakdowns, often begging whispers into her ear for her to wake up. There was never any change, the scanners and machines monitoring her condition remaining just as stagnant as the unconscious blonde.

Sakura found little solace in much of anything.

However, she did find temporary peace of mind in her gardening. It had started out small, a small pot of pansy seedlings on her windowsill, before she found herself focusing her attention on taking care of various plants around her apartment. While, at times, the flowers would remind her of Ino - the blonde had always had a natural green-thumb and spoke fondly of her parents' old flower shop - Sakura found the plants therapeutic. She knew that Ino would have been pleased to see her taking care of the flowers and, after several finally began to bloom, the pinkette began to bring some to the hospital, brightening up Mind Jumper's room.

Still, she knew that, while Ino was safe and under the watchful care of the hospital, _Sakura_ wasn't getting any better.

So much of the city reminded her of the girl she loved so dearly and she'd often hole herself up in her apartment, mourning and suffering in her own way.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one aware of her mental condition.

Which brought Sakura to where she was now, back in Kakashi's office, months after she'd announced to him her desire to retire. She hadn't been too surprised when he'd given her a call, as he'd kept in a fairly constant touch to make sure she was okay. When he'd asked her to come visit him, Sakura had been a little hesitant, having barely set foot in the building that acted as a sort of secret headquarters for the heroes of Shirogane since she'd given up being Cherry Bomb. But, she knew Kakashi wouldn't ask her over unless it was important.

Dressed in casual clothes and her pink, pixie-cut hair hidden under a hat so as to not draw unwanted attention to herself, she made her way up to Kakashi's office, flashing a quick ID card to the guards inside. It didn't have any actual personal information on it nor did it tell them that she was Cherry Bomb, but the symbol in the center granted her access to the facility without raising questions or revealing herself.

Kakashi was quick to notice how tired she looked when she slipped into his office. There were very prominent dark marks under her eyes and he was slightly alarmed to notice how thin she looked. Obviously, she hadn't been too concerned with her own health the past few months as she worried over Mind Jumper. He sighed, motioning for her to take a seat. He'd seen her occasionally over the past few months and what'd he'd noticed had worried him - Sakura wasn't healing.

She watched him, waiting for him to speak and reveal why he'd asked her to come over. Kakashi paused, leaning forward slightly and sending her an earnest look, his mouth turned down in a serious frown under his half-mask. Despite not really being an active hero anymore, he still had never revealed his full face to anyone, which Sakura understood but had always found a little frustrating for her curiosity.

"Sakura," he started, eyeing her carefully, "I'm going to make a suggestion that I want you to honestly consider. Okay?"

She tensed slightly, watching him warily before nodding. He looked over her face, frowning at her blank, numb expression - he had a distinct feeling that it had been months since she'd last been able to smile.

"You should leave the city."

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly at his words and her frown deepened as she shifted in her seat.

"What?"

He regarded her with an even look, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think you should leave Shirogane. These past few months have been hard on you, but you're not _healing -_ you're not getting better and you won't if you stay here."

"Kakashi," she started, a brief mixture of panic and vague anger flashing through her eyes, "This is my _home_. Ino needs me, I can't just-"

"There's nothing you can do to help her right now." He replied sternly, though she could see the concerned look in his eyes. "The only thing you can do for Mind Jumper right now is to wait, but you can't just wait here and let yourself waste away. Staying in Shirogane could very well _kill_ you if you stay stuck in this pattern you've been living through the past few months."

There were tears in her eyes, he could see, but he continued, his tone turning gentle.

"You need a change of scenery, Sakura. Get out of the city, go somewhere new. Take a vacation, live somewhere else for a while, meet new people, _anything._ Just don't stay here and let the pain consume you. You're worrying me, Sakura. I can't bare to watch you suffer like this. I know you want to be here when she wakes up," He had to hold back his additional comment of " _If_ she wakes up," and stood up, walking around his desk to stop in front of her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "But all you can do is wait, hope, and let yourself heal. And you can't do that here."

She shook slightly, dropping her gaze and staring down at her clenched fists. She loved Shirogane, she really did. This was Mind Jumper's home, Cherry Bomb's home - _her_ home. But, she thought through Kakashi's words, an ache of sadness hitting her as she remembered how much everything about the city seemed to remind her of Ino.

Kakashi watched her, sighing softly as he stepped back but paused when she reached up and gently grabbed his wrist. Sakura looked up at him, her expression defeated and desperate but, as he watched, he could see a glimmer of determination in her eyes.

"You're right. I... I need to get out of Shirogane for a while. I won't do Ino any good when she wakes up if I've just wasted away and resigned myself to living like this."

She took a calming breath and offered Kakashi a brief - it was only there for a moment, he might have missed it if he had blinked - small, sad smile.

"Thank you, Kakashi."

**::**

It took Sakura a few days to pack. She'd often find herself staring down at some article of clothing or a book or a piece of jewelry Ino had given her, lost briefly in her reminiscing of a happier time. When she finally pulled herself from her thoughts, she always let out a soft sigh and gently packed the item into its appropriate box. Kakashi had offered to help her pack but she'd declined, giving him a quick hug before she headed back to her apartment.

It was scary to think that she'd be leaving Ino behind, but she knew the hospital would keep her under constant care and she could always get in contact with the blonde's nurse to check on her status. They would contact her if anything happened and alert her the moment Ino finally woke up.

Sighing, Sakura gathered up the last of the clothes in her closet, pausing when something fell and thudded softly on the carpet of her bedroom. She glanced down, chest clenching slightly at the sight of Cherry Bomb's mask. Gaze traveling back into the closet, she spotted her hero outfit, folded up and shoved into the farthest corner. Depositing the clothes in her arm on her bed, she moved back to the mask, kneeling down as her hands shook slightly as she recalled how long it had taken to wash Ino's blood out of her clothes.

Picking up the white, full-face mask, she trailed her fingers over the black markings, from the diamond on the forehead and down a stripe that trailed over an eye and towards the bottom of the mask before moving her fingers back up to the red markings around the eye.

She had the sudden, intense urge to _break it._

But, taking a slow breath to calm herself, she carefully rose and moved back to the closet, gathering her Cherry Bomb uniform. With the black shorts and the red, midriff tank in her arms, she reached for the elbow guards, arm braces, and fingerless gloves, fingers trailing over the padding. It was all just where she'd left it months ago and, reaching blindly, she grabbed her knee-high combat boots as well, turning back to the boxes in her room. She grabbed her trunk of out of season clothes and pulled it closer, kneeling on the carpet as she removed some of the clothing until she could see the bottom of the trunk.

Carefully, she placed Cherry Bomb's clothes down, packing it all into the trunk with slightly trembling fingers. With the mask resting on top of the pile, she stared down at it all for a few moments before repacking the trunk, hiding the uniform beneath sweaters and coats. Clicking the latches into place she turned her back on the trunk and continued packing up her apartment, eleven years worth of memories of training and fighting villains and protecting the city rolling through her mind.

Once she had decided on where she wanted to go, Kakashi had been more than happy to help her find a place to live, making a few calls and easily getting her a nice apartment in Mabushii, a lively, exciting city about five hours away from Shirogane. Cherry Bomb's years of service to the city had landed Sakura with a pretty hefty amount of money for a nice, cushy retirement, all in gratitude for protecting Shirogane.

The thought of moving to a city where no one knew Haruno Sakura - and probably had only _heard_ of Cherry Bomb - was... oddly nice. Sure, she might have traveled to a few nearby cities to chase down her enemies in the past, but Cherry Bomb had only ever really been one of Shirogane's heroines.

This was her chance to start a new life, if at least for a little while. Who knows, maybe she'd end up really liking Mabushii and Ino would come to live in the big, bustling city as well.

All of her belongings packed up into Kakashi's car, who had been happy to help her move out and into her new home, Sakura took once final glance around her apartment, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Unfortunately, she'd be leaving Cherry Bomb's motorcycle behind in Kakashi's care, so she'd have to eventually look into finding some other method of transportation in the future. Nodding to herself, she left the building and traveled down to the waiting car.

Before heading out on their trip, the pair made a quick stop by the hospital, Kakashi waiting respectfully outside Ino's room as Sakura stood next to her bed, thinking over her words. The soft beeping of the monitors and the sterile smell of the hospital was rather comforting to the pinkette, considering she'd spent a lot of time helping the staff and lending her healing powers over the years. Ino's hair was still growing back and Sakura reached up to run her fingers through her own short hair, which she'd been keeping cut as she had promised.

The blonde looked peaceful, resting on the hospital bed, and a stranger might have thought her to be simply sleeping. Sighing gently, Sakura sent her a small, sad smile, reaching down to gently hold her hand before finally speaking, her voice soft and careful.

"I have to leave for a while, Jumper. It's not... healthy for me to stay here. I need to let myself rest while you do the same." Her expression turned very determined here and she leaned closer, her free hand reaching up to brush a few stands of blonde hair off her forehead, her gaze gentle but steady.

"I'll wait for you, Ino. I'll wait for you and, when you finally wake up, I'll be here, right by your side. I love you."

Leaning down, she pressed a soft kiss to Ino's cheek before touching their foreheads together for a moment, resting and breathing out a careful sigh before finally straightening up. Giving her hand a quick, soft squeeze, she turned and exited the room, nodding to Kakashi and wiping at her eyes before her tears could fall.

"I'm ready. Let's go."


	2. Arrival

Sakura slept through most of the drive, much to Kakashi's approval.

She really looked like she could use the sleep, after all, and, while it was by no means a deep, peaceful sleep, he was glad that she was getting some rest. Curled up in the passenger seat with a potted plant - he wasn't quite sure what kind of flower it was, but it was a pretty purple and smelled nice - cradled in her arms, she quickly dozed off once they began driving. Kakashi occasionally glanced over, smiling fondly at her sleeping form, and couldn't help but think that moving out of Shirogane would do her a lot of good.

She shifted and turned every once in a while as she slept, sometimes mumbling under her breath. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying, though he had a pretty good idea. But, he was happy to see her get some rest.

He drove the entire way to Mabushii, stopping for a quick break about halfway through the trip and offering Sakura an early lunch. Her growling stomach was enough of an answer. The diner was small and not particularly crowded as it was still pretty early in the day, so the two had a pleasant brunch, simply enjoying one another's company. Once back on the road, Sakura quickly fell back asleep, her slumber slightly more peaceful than during the first half of the trip.

Kakashi had to hold back a chuckle when he glanced over to see her with her face pressed against the glass, mouth open and cheek and nose squashed against the window as she snored lightly.

Eventually, they drew close to the Mabushii city limit and the older, retired hero reached over to gently shake her awake. At Sakura's sleepy grumble, he offered a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly.

"Mmngh- huh?" She slowly blinked her drowsiness away, sitting up slightly and glancing over at him. "Are we there, Kakashi?"

"Almost," he replied, reaching over to ruffle her hair fondly (to which she huffed and batted his hand away, though smiling back). "We've just passed the city limits, take a look."

Glancing out her window, Sakura watched as they passed smaller buildings that steadily began to grow in size as they approached Mabushii, the city skyline coming into view. She recalled visiting Mabushii a couple of times before, chasing down one of her past villains, but she'd never actually explored the city itself.

Quickly taking mental notes of landmarks and street signs, she started to feel a little excited, watching as they drove past pedestrians. Kakashi had said her apartment was near the center of the city and, peering out her window, she could see skyscrapers quickly approaching. Sakura felt herself smile slightly and, rolling down her window, she let the slight breeze ruffle her hair as she closed her eyes.

Mabushii was certainly bigger than Shirogane, though not incredibly so. Still, it gave off a nice sense of familiarity that reminded Sakura of her old home, yet offered the promise of new and exciting events. Resting her arm on the door of the car, she watched her surroundings pass by, glancing around when the driving slowed and they stopped at a light.

All of a sudden, she heard a few collective gasps and excited shouts and, looking to a group of nearby pedestrians, she watched as someone pointed happily towards one of the nearby, tall buildings. Not seeing anything at first, her gaze traveled upwards, head tilted as she realized someone was running and jumping across the rooftops. Leaning her head out the window slightly for a better look, she could just barely make out long, brown hair and a white uniform, though they were too far away for her to pick out finer details.

No doubt one of the heroes of the city. It wasn't unusual to see Supers out and about during the day, making their rounds through their cities.

As she continued to peer up at the rooftops, she felt the car pull forward and make a turn, quickly cutting off her sight of the mystery hero. Sighing, she pulled herself back into the vehicle and returned to watching the city pass by. She hadn't recognized them, no, and doubted she would have even _with_ a more clear view. Sakura knew nothing of the heroes of Mabushii and, while she might have had the urge to seek them out and meet them when she was still actively Cherry Bomb, she decided it... didn't really concern her anymore.

Sure, it might be a good idea to at least become familiar with the heroes that protected her new home, but there was no point in actually trying to meet them now that she was a simple civilian.

Still, maybe Kakashi knew the Mabushii heroes...

Before Sakura could turn and bring the subject up with Kakashi, he drew her attention towards a cheery looking, red-bricked building that they were approaching.

"Aaand there's your apartment building."

It wasn't anything too fancy, but definitely looked appealing, and Sakura felt her lips quirk upwards in a small smile as they drove closer. Her old apartment had been nice, sure, but (besides during the past few months) she hadn't spent a lot of her time actually living in it. She was often out 'working' or at the hero HQ training and going over strategies with Mind Jumper so, for the first time in a while, she knew she'd be spending a lot of time at her new home.

She glanced towards a plaque near the entrance of the building as they drove past, barely catching the words "Akaihana Apartments," before they drove down the street slightly. Finding an open spot to park in, Kakashi pulled in parallel to the street and sent Sakura a smile from behind his mask, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"Ready?"

She glanced out the windshield, gaze passing over the city in front of her, before looking back to the older hero, a finger rubbing against the outside of the pot of the plant in her lap. Rolling her shoulders, she took a breath and offered Kakashi a small smile, nodding her head.

"Ready."

Carrying a box each to start everything off, the pair walked into the apartment building and Kakashi quickly stepped towards the front desk as they entered the lobby. Sakura glanced around, taking in her surroundings as she waited for Kakashi to return. It was kind of like a hotel lobby, but had more of a home-y feeling, what with the 'commons area' feel to it. There were a few couches and cushioned chairs for residents to lounge on, as well as nice coffee tables on either side of the lobby, and potted ferns near the entrance.

There was only one other person in the lobby besides Kakashi, Sakura, and the girl behind the front desk. The pinkette glanced towards who she figured was an apartment resident, eyeing him curiously. He was relaxing comfortably in one of the lounge chairs, a book in his hands and a scarf wrapped around his neck, obscuring a bit of his face in his slouched position. She found it rather odd that he was wearing sunglasses indoors - but it didn't seem to be bothering him too much - and, honestly, she didn't think it was really that cold out to warrant the coat. But, glancing down at her old hoodie and floral-print shorts combo, she decided she wasn't really in much of a place to judge someone's fashion decisions.

The sunglasses were too tinted for her to tell where he was looking but, as he ran a hand through his brown hair (styled back in a sweeping motion that kept his hair out of his eyes and off his forehead), he lifted his chin slightly and she had the distinct feeling that he had noticed her. Unable to really wave with one of her boxes of clothes in her arms, the potted plant perched on top, she simply offered a small smile and nodded in greeting.

He returned the nod, lowering his book slightly, and Sakura was about to turn back to Kakashi when there was a sudden buzzing in her ear. She turned her head slightly at the sound, catching sight of a small bug flying past her. It landed on a leaf of a fern next to the man and, without looking away from her direction, he simply reached a hand out and let the bug crawl onto his finger.

Odd.

Before Sakura could react, she heard Kakashi calling her name and, with a small, half-wave of her fingers towards the strange man, she quickly moved towards the older hero. Kakashi tucked his box of her belongings under one arm and raised his free hand, jingling what she assumed were her new apartment keys as he smiled.

"Fifth floor, apartment 5-D. Shall we?" He inclined his head towards what looked like an elevator to the right of the front desk and Sakura returned the smile, giving him a short nod. Glancing to the left of the desk, she could see a stairwell and made a mental note to try to use the stairs more than the elevator after she's all moved in.

Luckily, the ride was short and they stopped outside the door to her new home, Kakashi setting his box down as he unlocked the door. Sakura stood and waited patiently, vaguely aware of the sound of a door opening and clicking shut further down the hall. There were six doors in total on this floor, Sakura's being in the middle of the three on the stairwell-side of the hallway.

Once the door was unlocked, she waited for Kakashi to gather his box but, all at once, found herself stiffening as she caught sight of a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye.

Time slowed slightly and her breathing caught in her throat, every nerve in her body suddenly alight as her muscles tensed. She felt the sudden urge to move into a defensive stance, fingers twitching and her grip on her box tightening at the sight of that red hair.

A deeply set-in reflex.

But then, time no longer moving at a crawl, the person passed by and she realized it was just a young woman, her red hair swaying as she walked down the hall. Sakura let out the breath she'd been holding, her body relaxing all at once as she watched the woman head down the stairs.

 _'Relax, Sakura,'_ she thought to herself, rolling her shoulders and shifting the box in her arms, _'It's been well over two years...'_

Suddenly, she realized that Kakashi was watching her.

Face flushing slightly in embarrassment, she moved her gaze away from the stairwell, fingers tapping on her box.

"You okay?" Kakashi asked softly, obviously having noticed the way she had suddenly been set on edge.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just thought..." She shook her head, fighting down her blush as she sighed. "Yeah."

Patting her shoulder, Kakashi sent her a smile and opened the door to let her in to the apartment. Following after the pinkette, he watched as she adjusted her box and explored her new home. The entrance opened up into the living room, a nice looking couch against the right wall and a coffee table in front of it. A pair of bookshelves sat against the wall facing the couch and Sakura's mind instantly began thinking through how else she was going to decorate the room. The living area merged with the furnished kitchen, an island counter separating the two rooms and a pair of chairs sat at the counter.

To her left was a short hallway with a door on either side. Opening both and glancing inside, she found the bedroom - furnished with a queen-sized bed, a desk and chair, set of drawers, and a closet set into the back wall - and the bathroom. Kakashi followed her into the bedroom, setting his box down on the floor while she dropped hers on the mattress, carefully depositing the potted plant on the desk. Moving towards the windows by the bed, she opened the blinds to let the daylight in, realizing her room looked out onto the street corner that wrapped around the side of the apartment building.

The pair headed back down to the street and gradually began moving her belongings from the car and up to the apartment, taking everything at their own individual paces. Sakura was just stepping out of the elevator for the third time when she passed Kakashi, empty-handed and heading back down to his car. They shared a smile in passing and the pinkette moved down the hall to her door, two large boxes in her arms. They were heavy, sure, but Sakura barely noticed the weight with her inhuman strength and was just about to shift both boxes to balance on one arm to open the door when she heard a door open behind her.

"Oh, whoa!"

Sakura paused at the sound of someone approaching, unable to see them around the boxes in her arms.

"Shit, hey, need some help?"

Before she could reply, the topmost box was suddenly taken and Sakura came face-to-face with a young man with wild, messily-styled, brown hair. He blinked in surprise at the sight of her, expression a little bewildered as his nose twitched slightly. Sakura took a moment to assess him, noting the odd, red, triangle markings - tattoos? - on his cheeks and his leather jacket. Suddenly, his eyes widened a bit and he sent her a wide, excited grin, holding her box in his arms.

"H-holy shit, wow, h-hey!" He stumbled over his words slightly, cheeks just barely tinting pink, before glancing towards her door and quickly reaching out to open the door. "O-oh, lemme get that for you!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Sakura sent him a curious look, adjusting the box in her arms.

"Uh, thanks." She stood there awkwardly for a moment, caught a little off-guard by the guy.

"I, uh-" He cleared his throat and seemed to calm down slightly, resisting the urge to nervously run his hand through his hair. "I'm Kiba, Inuzuka Kiba. You just move in?"

Gathering her thoughts, Sakura offered him a small smile, nodding her head. "Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you, Kiba. Thanks for, uh- oh!"

Before Sakura could finish, she suddenly felt a cold wetness on the back of her hand and glanced down to see a large, white dog sniffing her curiously. The dog sat down and gave a low woof, tail wagging as it looked to Kiba, who, in turn, sent Sakura a grin.

"Ah, that's Akamaru! We were just heading out for a walk when I saw ya struggling with the boxes."

Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back her retort - she had _not_ been struggling with her boxes - but simply gave him a weak smile, moving her box to rest on one arm, reaching down to give Akamaru's head a few scratches and give him a smile in greeting.

"Yeah, thanks for that - it was really sweet of you. I guess we're... neighbors?"

Kiba grinned back at her and Akamaru gave another soft bark before standing up and pacing back and forth next to the two of them. The brunette sent the dog a look, shifting his weight from leg to leg as he looked back to Sakura.

"Looks like it! Need any help moving your stuff in, uh, S-sakura?" He seemed almost hesitant to say her name and, taking note of his nervousness, she shook her head gently, reaching out to push open her door further.

"Ah, no, it's fine. A friend of mine is helping me and we're almost done bringing everything up. But, thank you, Kiba."

She couldn't tell if he looked relieved or disappointed. There was some odd look in his eye but his grin never wavered. Still, he moved to step into her apartment and quickly set the box in his arms down, running his hand through his hair as he moved back out to stand next to Akamaru.

"No problem! Well, uh, see ya around, Sakura." Kiba took a few steps backwards down the hallway, offering a wave before he perked up slightly, pausing near the stairwell. "Oh! If you ever need anything, feel free to knock! I'm in 5-A!"

With another bark from Akamaru and a small farewell from Sakura, the brunette hurried down the stairs, his dog following close behind. Watching him leave, the pinkette shrugged to herself and stepped into her apartment to deposit her box.

The guy seemed nice but there was something a little odd about him. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to try to befriend her new neighbor. Rubbing the back of her neck, Sakura reached down to grab the box Kiba had carried in, easily picking it up and carrying it into her bedroom, humming to herself.

**::**

By the time Sakura and Kakashi had gotten all of her belongings up into her apartment, went out for a quick dinner, and had unpacked a few of her necessities, it was pretty late in the day. Sitting down on the couch in the living room, Sakura smiled as the older hero flopped down next to her and stretched before pulling his cellphone out of his pocket.

"Dang, time flies when you're having fun, huh?"

The pinkette sent him a soft laugh, leaning over to rest against his shoulder and glance at the time as well. Relaxing against his side, she reached up to ruffle his silver hair, giggling when he playfully batted her hand away.

"Thanks for everything, Kakashi," she mumbled, sitting up slightly to give his covered cheek a quick peck, "You're not gonna drive back to Shirogane tonight, are you? Wanna spend the night?"

Offering a chuckle, he leaned over to give the top of her head a kiss, smiling fondly down at the pinkette as he shook his head. "Nah, too long of a trip for tonight. But, I've got a friend in town that's letting me borrow their couch. Unless... you'd rather I stay here instead..~?"

He sent her a kind of teasing look and Sakura glanced away, gaze traveling over the still unfamiliar living room. She'd never really been one to easily feel homesick but, after so many changes in one day, she had a feeling that she would have some trouble sleeping tonight and Kakashi's presence always seemed to help her relax.

She looked up at him with a rather pleading pout, batting her eyelashes. Understanding her silent message, Kakashi gave another soft chuckle and another kiss to the top of her head, nodding to himself as he stood.

"Let me just give him a call about the change of plans."

**::**

After digging through her boxes for a pair of sweatpants and a plain, over-sized shirt for makeshift pajamas for Kakashi (the shirt was almost a little too small for him) and depositing a pillow and blanket on the couch, Sakura changed into her own PJs and dropped onto her bed, one hand running over the soft bed sheets she'd fitted onto the mattress. Staring up at the light grey ceiling, she let her mind buzz with all of her thoughts, feeling slightly overwhelmed with the day.

The pinkette couldn't help but think about how Ino was doing. She'd only seen her briefly that morning and, already, she missed her. Sitting up, she moved to grab her bag, pulling her cellphone out to see if she had any missed calls from the hospital. It'd be kind of ironic, wouldn't it? Ino waking up right after she left Shirogane...

But, she had no missed calls or new text messages.

Sighing, she flicked the lights off and fell back onto the bed, draping an arm over her eyes as she tried to relax. After a minute or so, she rolled over and crawled under her covers, grabbing one of the extra pillows and hugging it to her chest as she curled up.

It took her a while to fall asleep and, when Sakura finally did, she was instantly met with nightmares, reliving the evening in the cave and watching Kabuto stab Mind Jumper over and over again.

She finally awoke with a start about forty-five minutes later, a light sheen of sweat over her skin and tears in her eyes. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Sakura hugged herself as she tried to get rid of the mental image of Kabuto standing over her fallen form, a screaming, bleeding Ino in his grasp and a wicked grin on his face. Staring ahead into the dark, she tried to calm herself but was a little too afraid to try to go back to sleep.

Steeling her nerves, she slowly slid off of the bed and exited her bedroom, carefully traveling down the small hall to the living room. Finding her way in the dark with little problem, she stopped next to the couch, quietly dropping to her knees as she peered through the darkness at Kakashi's sleeping, masked face.

"Sensei..?" she whispered, reaching to gently squeeze his shoulder, "Are you awake?"

She knew the answer, but there wasn't really much else she could say.

After a moment, he shifted slightly and slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the darkness for a few seconds before turning his head to see Sakura.

"Mmn..- Sakura..? 's everything okay?"

She glanced away and he squinted through the darkness as his eyes adjusted, quickly catching sight of what looked like lingering tears in the corners of her eyes. Kakashi carefully sat up, running his hand through his hair as he watched her with concern.

"...Nightmare?"

She gave a small nod, trying to hold back her tears as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Sorry, I just... Can you-"

Without another word, Kakashi scooped her up into his arms and stood, hugging her close as he carried her out of the living room. Burying her face in his chest, Sakura tried not to let herself start shaking, relaxing slightly at the feeling of the older hero pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"'s alright, I'm here."

She gave a deep, heaving sigh at his sleepy mumble, wrapping an arm around his neck before realizing that he'd carried her back into her bedroom. Shushing her gently, he carefully set her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her, and, before she could say anything, moved to the other side and climbed under the sheets as well. Reaching out to ruffle her hair, he gave a soft chuckle when he felt her move closer to him, curling into his warm embrace. Rubbing her back soothingly, he offered the pinkette a soft, "Goodnight."

Returning the goodnight wish, Sakura slowly began to relax and eventually fell asleep. And, for the first time in several months, slept peacefully through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyy chapter 2


	3. Meetings

Sakura awoke to the sound of soft snoring in her ear.

Rolling over towards the noise, she sleepily opened her eyes and found herself facing Kakashi, his body sprawled out on the bed and his mouth parted slightly as he snored. She shifted slightly, groaning at an uncomfortable pressure under her back, and realized she had been sleeping on his arm. Sitting up carefully, she rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth, making a face at the lingering drool. Despite the slightly sore spot in her upper back - thanks to the awkward position of Kakashi's arm under her - and the weirdly disorientating feeling that comes with waking up in a new place, she felt oddly nice.

For once she actually felt... _rested._

Sending the older hero a fond smile, she slipped off the mattress and exited the bedroom, shuffling across the hall and into the bathroom. Washing her face in an attempt to wake up, Sakura paused and examined herself in the mirror.

There were still dark marks under her eyes and she wouldn't say she looked _happy,_ but there was a lively flush to her face and a nice spark in her eyes that she hadn't seen in herself in months. Slumping against the counter, Sakura sighed softly and ran a hand through her short hair, making a face at the bedhead and a mental note to take a shower once she was done unpacking.

Eventually, she finished up her morning routine in the bathroom and moved down the hallway, stepping into the kitchen and beelining for the fridge. Unsurprisingly, she opened it to find it empty and, tapping her bare foot on the kitchen tile, she gave an annoyed pout.

"Right. Gotta go grocery shopping."

Huffing to herself, she grabbed one of the few glasses she had unpacked and filled it with tap water, chugging it down quickly before setting the cup aside. There were plenty more dishes she still needed to put away and she'd _kill_ for some coffee, but, for now, she'd just have to make do with what she had on hand. Taking a moment to stretch, reaching down and leaning back and twisting from side to side, she turned to examine the living room, hands on her hips. There were several boxes sitting out of the way, a few opened with some stuff taken out, but, obviously, she still had a lot of unpacking to do.

The sound of footsteps met her ear and she glanced over her shoulder to see Kakashi emerging from the bedroom, running a hand through his bedhead as he yawned. Looking to her, he offered a sleepy smile, his mask still in place, and approached, ruffling her hair as well.

"Sleep well?" She asked, moving to sit down on the couch. Kakashi nodded, grabbing his cellphone off of the coffee table and stepping back to lean against the island counter.

"Like a rock. You?"

Sakura was almost hesitant to admit that she'd slept peacefully, still a little surprised herself. Nonetheless, Kakashi was pleased with her affirmative answer and plopped down next to her on the couch, scrolling through his emails. She relaxed into the cushions, sending him a glance when he sighed.

"I wish I could stay and help you unpack, but I have to head back to Shirogane soon."

Sakura held back her pout, simply nodding in understanding while Kakashi sent her a sympathetic smile. He had work to do back in his city, as expected, and, while she'd certainly miss him the moment he was gone, she wasn't about to make him stay and keep her company. She'd have to look into meeting new people here in Mabushii, maybe befriend some of her neighbors...

The two went ahead and got dressed, the pinkette making mental notes on what she'd put where and a list of groceries for later while Kakashi changed back into his clothes from yesterday, grumbling to himself about forgetting to bring a change of clothes for himself. Eventually, the two of them were saying their goodbyes downstairs, standing next to Kakashi's car and paying little attention to the morning pedestrians.

She gave him a quick hug, thanking the older hero for his help with getting her moved in and made a promise to keep in touch. Kakashi's hug was warm and relaxing and she instantly missed the embrace once they broke apart, smiling to herself as he climbed into his car.

"Ah! Before I forget," Kakashi twisted slightly in his seat suddenly, grabbing for a piece of paper and a pen as Sakura gave him a curious look. He turned back and scribbled something down on a strip of paper, handing it to her with a smile. Sakura glanced down at the note to find a phone number and looked back at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow.

"If you ever get into any trouble, just give that number a call. Tell him your name and mention me."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed at the vague explanation but, having long since gotten used to Kakashi's occasionally cryptic mannerisms, she nodded and folded the paper in half, slipping it into the pocket of her red jacket.

"Thanks, sensei; I'll see you around. Drive safe, okay?"

He sent her another smile, nodding and reaching out to give her arm a comforting squeeze.

"Take it easy and try to have some fun. Meet some new people and check out the city. Give me a call if you ever need anything, alright?."

Once he drove away, Sakura felt a little lost. She knew very little about Mabushii and, without Kakashi, she didn't really have anyone to turn to for information. Gaze traveling over the streets and buildings around her, she sighed and headed back into her apartment complex, taking her time as she climbed the stairs up to the fifth floor. She'd only just exited the stairwell when a door down her hall opened and Akamaru raced out, running in circles outside the entrance to his owner's apartment before catching sight of the pinkette.

The large dog bounded up to her, tail wagging excitedly as he gave a low woof and butted her hand with his head, begging for pets. Giggling to herself, Sakura obliged and gave his ear a few scratches, crouching down to ruffle his furry face. It was going to be pretty lonely in her apartment - maybe she should look into getting a pet...

Akamaru gave another bark and Sakura glanced up at the sound of muffled noises coming from inside the apartment he'd just run out of. Kiba emerged shortly after, hopping slightly on one foot as he adjusted a shoe and called to his dog.

"Hang on, Akamaru! Ya gotta wait for me, you big goofball. I-" The brunette cut himself off when he glanced up and caught sight of Sakura kneeling next to his dog, a huge grin suddenly splitting his face. "S-sakura! Good morning!"

She bit the inside of her cheek and stood, giving Akamaru's head a pat. There was something... _odd_ about Kiba, but vaguely familiar.

Now, Sakura might not be the best judge of character, but she could definitely tell that he didn't act quite _himself_ around her - though, truthfully, she didn't really know the guy that well so she hadn't _experienced_ his normal 'self' yet. But she could tell something was up. And, if she was serious about at least trying to befriend the guy, it would be a lot easier if he just relaxed (he seemed like a pretty relaxed guy and there was something kind of awkward about how he acted around her). She couldn't pass it off as something as simple as a crush since, c'mon, they'd only just met and-

He bounded up to her to very similarly to how Akamaru had greeted her, looking just as excited, though slightly nervous as well. Kiba looked like he was holding back slightly, like there was something he wanted to say but didn't quite know how to put it into words. So, he just grinned and greeted her again, looking practically exuberated at her reply. She held back a frown. The way he acted around her reminded her of...

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly as a thought hit her.

It reminded her of how civilians would act around Cherry Bomb when they met her for the first time.

Regardless of whether this paranoid thought was correct - it had _better_ not be - there still remained the fact that something was off and it was going to get really old, really quick.

"Alright, Kiba. What's the deal?"

His huge grin faltered for a moment and he gave a nervous laugh, looking as if he was going to brush her question off but, as she frowned at him and crossed her arms over her chest, he gave her a bashful smile.

"Sorry, I'm just... _really_ excited, y'know? This is just _so_ cool and-"

"What are you talking about?" She interrupted, her stomach doing a small flip for a moment.

Kiba glanced around almost nervously, leaning in and cupping his hand around his mouth as if he was going to share a secret with her.

"W-well, y'know. You're _Cherry Bomb_." Sakura had to hold back her groan, her lips pursing as he continued, that excited grin back, "And I'm just so freakin' pumped to meet you, like, holy shit, _the_ Cherry Bomb is my new neighbor."

Suspicions confirmed, Sakura resisted the urge to rub her forehead and, instead, carefully gave Kiba a quizzical look. She'd spent many years fine-tuning the differences between her 'Haruno Sakura' and 'Cherry Blossom' personalities in an attempt to keep people from realizing that the sweet Sakura and the powerhouse heroine were one in the same. Of course, occasionally someone would become convinced that they'd figured it out - pink hair wasn't all that common, after all - but she always denied it, playing it off as a joke and acting slightly flattered. It was kind of the reason why she'd never had much of a life outside of being Cherry Bomb. Too many opportunities for someone to recognize her or pester her about secretly being a superhero and _maybe_ she was guilty of having Ino casually wiping the thought from someone's mind in the past. But that had all been back in Shirogane, when being a hero had been a _full-time_ job.

She hadn't considered the thought of someone figuring out she was Cherry Bomb in her new city.

"What do you mean?" She asked, playing the innocent card _hard_ as she tilted her head and gave him a confused look. "The superhero?"

Kiba looked oddly proud of himself, scratching Akamaru's ears as the dog sat down at his side.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone though. You're probably, like, undercover or something, right? Oh, man, this is so cool! I'd heard you hadn't been seen in action in _months_ and then, boom! You show up in _Mabushii_ of all places, moving in right next door to _me_." He was getting more excited by the moment, gesturing wildly with his hands as she resisted the urge to grit her teeth. "I'm _such_ a huge fan and I can't believe how lucky I am, like, what are the cha-"

"Kiba," Sakura interrupted again, sending him a slightly pained smile as if he'd just told an awful joke. "Why on _Earth_ would you think I'm Cherry Bomb? And don't you dare say it's because my hair is pink - _anyone_ can dye their hair. I mean, I'm flattered that you'd mistake me for a superhero, but you're wrong."

Sakura had no qualms about lying, especially since she was _retired_ and just looking to live peacefully in her new home. That knowing look in Kiba's eye was a little worrying though.

"Well, I mean, your hair is definitely _shorter_ than I remember," Her gaze narrowed slightly here. Had she ever met Kiba before yesterday? He didn't notice her expression and simply continued, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But that's not how I know. Cherry Bomb - _you_ came to Mabushii a couple years back and, let me tell you, it was so cool to see you in action, in person. You see, I'm a rookie hero." Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and she had the instantaneous urge to slap a hand over his mouth and tell him to _shut up_ , but he just kept on talking, "My powers give me the ability to talk to animals and I have super keen senses. Like a dog!" He pauses and gives Akamaru's head an affectionate pat. "And you smell _exactly_ like Cherry Bomb."

Right. Okay, he knew and there was no denying it. Still, Sakura took a step forward and poked his chest with a finger, shoulders raised as she hissed under her breath at him.

" _First off_ , I'm _not_ Cherry Bomb." Just because she couldn't really deny it, didn't mean she wasn't _going_ to, "Secondly, even if I _was_ , 'cause I'm _not,_ you don't go around telling complete strangers that you're a Super! There's a _reason_ , superheroes have secret identities."

Kiba looked a little embarrassed, pouting down at the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oops, yeah, gotta watch my mouth a little more..."

Sakura sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she urged herself to relax before finally looking back at him.

"Listen, Kiba," she began again, regarding him with a serious look, "I'm only going to say this one more time. I'm Haruno Sakura, _not_ Cherry Bomb. Just Sakura. Just a normal person who's looking forward to living in a new city. Alright?"

Embarrassment gone, he looked a little disappointed now before he finally seemed to understand, his posture relaxing as his sheepish smile became more of a casual grin. With a nod, Kiba held out his hand, everything about him seeming to shift as he relaxed.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sakura. I hope we can be, erhm... friends?"

Satisfied, she smiled, shaking his hand and nodding in return. "I hope so too, Kiba."

They were interrupted by a soft bark and Sakura glanced over, smiling down at Akamaru, who was watching the pair from his place at Kiba's side. Crouching down, she gave the hound a quick pet, her smile widening when Akamaru gave another happy woof.

"And I look forward to being friends with you too, Akamaru!"

Exchanging farewells, Kiba and Akamaru headed towards the stairwell and out for a morning walk, leaving Sakura to watch them leave before rubbing her forehead with a sigh. She was sure she had by no means convinced Kiba that she _wasn't_ a superhero but, hopefully, this would be the last conversation concerning Cherry Bomb. Turning back to her apartment door, Sakura hurried inside and regarded her still-bare living room with a frown.

Hands on her hips, she glanced to the boxes waiting to be unpacked and gave them a dutiful nod. As she approached the waiting boxes, she cracked her knuckles, already making a mental map of what she'd put where.

It was time to properly unpack.

**::**

About three hours later, Sakura had finally unpacked the last box, almost all of her clothing hung up in her closet and her apartment looking much less bare than the day before. Combing her fingers through her hair, she dropped down on her couch and regarded her handiwork with a smile. She'd filled up most of the space on the bookshelves with photos, books, journals, and a few random knickknacks, put a small floral-printed rug underneath the coffee table, and tossed a few throw pillows onto the couch. The pinkette would have to go out to get some hooks for a few larger picture frames that she wanted to hang up on the walls and maybe look into getting a TV, but, so far, she was satisfied with her new home.

But a quick grumble from her stomach quickly reminded Sakura that she still needed to go grocery shopping. Patting her belly, she grabbed her phone off the coffee table and searched for nearby markets. She found a grocery store that was only two blocks away and committed the path on the map to memory before standing up and stretching for a moment. After a quick shower and dressing in a clean tank top - the bunnies scampering across the bottom of the pale blue tank looked much more chipper than she did - and some jeans, she grabbed a couple of reusable bags and shoved her keys, phone, and wallet into her pocket, heading out to do a little shopping.

It was nearing noon by now and the city was already bustling, cars passing by on the street and plenty of pedestrians making their way on foot. Sakura stepped out of the Akaihana Apartments' lobby and only briefly regarded the traffic before making her way in the direction of the grocery store. She walked leisurely, glancing around at her surroundings and already beginning to make her own mental map of the city.

She was only about halfway down the second block - the map on her phone had made everything seem much smaller but she wasn't really complaining; it wouldn't hurt to start working out again - when a building across the street caught her eye. Her attention zeroed-in on the words "Mabushii Public Library" on the large plaque next to a pair of large doors and she paused, her interest piqued. Glancing either way to make sure there weren't any cars coming, she hurried across the street and up the steps to the entrance to the library.

It wouldn't hurt to get a little sidetracked before she got groceries.

Sakura was quickly met with that familiar library smell and she tucked her bags under her arm, smiling to herself as she stepped inside, the quiet air of the library a welcome relief to the busy street outside. _'I should get a library card sometime.'_ She thought to herself as she looked around, taking in the large lobby and the rows up on rows of tall shelves before turning her attention to the front desk. Her heart nearly skipped a beat and her palms turned clammy at the sudden glimpse of red hair - not _again_ \- but she quickly settled her frazzled nerves when she realized it was just the librarian, a bored looking young woman who was scribbling something down on a clipboard as she leaned against the counter. The librarian looked up just in time to catch Sakura's eye, peering at the pinkette over the rim of her glasses.

Taking a moment to shift her weight from foot to foot, Sakura made her way towards the desk, flashing a quick smile at the librarian. The redhead regarded her with a frown and her smile faltered for a moment before the other woman snapped her fingers, shooting Sakura a knowing look.

"You just moved into the Akaihana Apartments' complex, right?"

The pinkette paused, blinking in surprise - what? - before slowly nodding, a little dumbfounded. "Uhm, yeah. How did you-?"

"Thought you looked familiar." The librarian interrupted, straightening up and flipping her red hair over her shoulder - it was styled asymmetrically, cut short and close to the scalp on one side while the rest of her hair was swept over the other side and cascaded down to her shoulder blades. "I passed by you yesterday in the hall but didn't introduce myself since you looked pretty busy."

Sakura regarded her with surprise, thinking back to the day before and remembering the incident outside her apartment before looking the redhead over a little more thoroughly. Geeze, did that mean that today was the second time she'd mistaken her for-

"Uzumaki Karin, welcome to Mabushii." She - Karin, apparently - was smiling at Sakura now, holding out her hand as she greeted her.

Something about her name sounded oddly familiar but Sakura pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she returned the smile, reaching out to shake her offered hand.

"Haruno Sakura. Thanks - it's nice to meet you, Karin. I guess we're neighbors?"

The pinkette _swore_ Karin's smile faltered for a split-second when their hands touched but she played it off, the librarian nodding as she nudged her clipboard aside. Her crimson eyes dropped down to look at the bags under Sakura's arm and she quirked an eyebrow, placing an elbow on the counter as she rested her chin in her hand.

"Going out to do some shopping, Sakura? Or were you planning on filling those bags with books?"

Sakura laughed, adjusting her hold on the reusable bags before shaking her head, leaning against the desk as well. "Just getting some groceries - my fridge is ridiculously empty. I was on my way to a store when I saw the library and, well, I thought I might as well check it out and maybe look into getting a library card."

Karin's smile widened and she turned away, opening up a filing cabinet behind her.

"Well, I can totally get that started for you." After a moment she turned back with a form in hand, placing it in front of Sakura before grabbing a pen out of the cup on the counter-top. Handing it over, she paused before sending Sakura a wink. "And maybe I'll stop by some time with a pie or something and play up that cliche 'Friendly New Neighbor' card. Do you like apples?"

She giggled again, accepting the offered pen before glancing down at the form. "That sounds great but, please, don't feel obligated to make me anything."

Karin shrugged, stepping away to organize a stack of books as she waited for Sakura to fill out the form. "It's no problem. Besides, I make a mean apple pie."

Sliding the paper back over, Sakura sent her a grin and waited patiently as Karin opened a drawer on her side of the desk and pulled out a plastic card. The librarian scribbled something down on the form before handing over the card, turning to file away the paper.

"Well, thanks in advance, Karin. I'll see you around?"

Another smile and Karin waved in farewell, sending Sakura another quick wink.

"I'm 5-F, by the way. Feel free to stop by if you ever need anything."

Sending the redhead an appreciative nod, Sakura took a few minutes to browse the aisles of shelves before she made her way out of the library and back to the street, slipping her new library card into her wallet as she hurried back across the road. Inwardly, she was a little bewildered - what were the chances that she'd bump into another one of her new neighbors? - but Karin had been nice to talk to and she looked forward to befriending her further in the future. Heading towards that grocery store, Sakura returned to taking in her surroundings, inwardly wondering just _what_ she would be doing with her free time now since she was going to have a _lot_ of it.

A part-time job didn't sound too bad, but she'd look into that later. For now, Sakura just wanted to focus on filling her refrigerator.

**::**

Returning to her apartment with arms full of groceries, Sakura decided that she'd had a pretty productive morning and was looking forward to making a quick lunch before perhaps taking a short tour around the city. Once all the food was put away, she sat down on the couch, a sandwich in hand and her phone on her thigh. Browsing through search results for interesting places and things to do in Mabushii, Sakura relaxed and reclined back, feeling relatively peaceful for the first time in months. Everything still felt new and different and her mind kept wandering back to Ino, but she stubbornly reminded herself that Mind Jumper was in the best of hands and there was no harm in making herself relax.

Resting her head on the back cushion of the couch, Sakura let herself think about her plans. Not that she had many. All she really had in mind was spending as much time as possible distracting herself with the new city and all it had to offer before she actually felt comfortable with Mabushii. Sighing, she finished off her sandwich and took a few minutes to clean up before dropping back down onto the couch. She'd only meant to lay there for a little while, browsing the internet on her phone but, eventually she drifted off and fell asleep.

When she finally awoke, it was late in the evening. Rolling over from her sprawled out position on the couch, Sakura reached blindly for her phone to check the time, grimacing at the screen. Sitting up, she stretched and shuffled towards the kitchen area to fix herself a glass of water before plopping down at the island counter.

It had been a nice enough nap, sure, but memories of bad dreams haunted the back of her mind, putting her in a much more worse mood than before she had fallen asleep. Still, she hadn't realized how tired she'd been. Sighing, Sakura downed her water and wandered aimlessly around the apartment, straightening and reorganizing and putting up possessions she'd left aside, before making her way towards her bedroom.

Plopping down on her bed, she opened up her laptop and spent about half an hour searching for something to distract herself with before eventually laying back, sighing up at the ceiling.

She'd completely underestimated how _boring_ civilian life could be.

After a while, she found herself pulling up some random, quick recipes that looked good and carrying her laptop into the kitchen. The rest of her evening went by in a blur and, after burning through a couple movies on her laptop, Sakura laid on her bed once more, staring up at the ceiling in the dark as she dreaded sleep. Burying her face in her hands, she rolled over to curl up, inwardly wondering just when the nightmares would stop. This had been the first full day in months that she hadn't seen Ino and she had to resist the urge to call the hospital and check with the blonde's nurse.

With a groan, Sakura burrowed under her covers and tried to rest and ignore her aching heart.

Sakura woke with a start a couple times during the night, hands shaking and mind reeling as she tried to push Kabuto's grin and Ino's sceam from her mind. Each time, she spent a while distracting herself with her phone before drifting off once more. At some point, she must have opened up a playlist to listen to because, when morning finally came, her phone was dead and her earbuds were still in place in her ears.

Grimacing to herself, Sakura sat up and shot a frown at the tangled cords, tossing the buds aside before plugging her phone in to charge. Shuffling into the bathroom, Sakura regarded her reflection, rubbing her face in an attempt to wake up before deciding to just hop into the shower. Clean and awake and changed into some fresh pajamas, the morning went by slowly and, inwardly, Sakura wished she hadn't unpacked everything so quickly. She was _dying_ for something to do and briefly considered just spending the day baking and cooking but, fortunately, a distraction came in the form of a knock on her door.

Eyebrow quirked, she made her way over and spared a moment to look through her peephole - Kiba was on the other side, talking down at Akamaru - before opening the door.

"Kiba?" He grinned in reply, looking much more relaxed than yesterday, and Sakura sent him a small smile. "Can I help you?"

"Afternoon, Sakura!" Inwardly, she frowned - was it already past noon? "I was on my way to meet with some friends and I, uhm, was wondering if you wanted to tag along?" He paused, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Since you just moved in and all, I figured you didn't really know many people in the city yet and we could show you some cool places in Mabushii. I'm meeting them at this place I think you'll like and, well... you in?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed minusculely - was this his attempt to hang out with Cherry Bomb or was he seriously just being friendly? - and nearly turned him down, but paused, glancing back at her quiet, empty apartment. There was no harm in spending some time with the rookie hero and, besides, she needed to be more sociable or she'd just end up holing up in her apartment for days on end.

"Oh, uh, yeah! Sure, Kiba. That sounds fun."

His grin was infectious and she shot him a quick smile, combing her fingers through her hair. "Give me about, uhm, ten minutes to get dressed? I'll be right out."

Kiba was quick to nod, moving to lean against the hallway wall as he waved her off, Akamaru sitting next to him. Turning away, Sakura quickly shut the door, pausing for only a moment before hurrying to her bedroom to grab some clothes - a plain, pale green V-neck shirt, some jeans, and a light jacket - before grabbing her mostly-charged phone. Shoving her wallet, keys, and phone into a purse, she checked her reflection - why did she look so nervous? - and headed back to the door.

The rookie hero was still leaning against the wall but quickly kicked off of it when she appeared, his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket as he grinned and sent her a nod. Kiba turned and the pair headed down the hall, Akamaru running ahead as they traveled down the stairwell and made idle conversation.

"The place isn't that far away, but its a bit of a walk." He admitted, glancing over to her. "I let my buddies know you were coming along - they're all excited to meet you, Sakura."

She shot him a small frown, zipping up her jacket as she regarded him with a slightly suspicious look.

"Kiba, you didn't... _tell_ them anything, did you? 'Cause I'm really not in the mood for a repeat of yesterday."

Laughing, he sent her a grin before shaking his head, taking the last flight of steps two at a time. "Nah, no worries. I promised I'd keep my mouth shut. Shino lives here at the apartments too so he's lookin' forward to meeting you. Hinata is just generally friendly, though she can be a little shy at first."

Relaxing a bit, Sakura repeated the unfamiliar names in her mind and followed after Kiba, giving Akamaru a pat when he bumped his head into her hand. Out on the street, it was another busy day and Kiba took a moment to take a deep breath in through his nose, grinning to himself before motioning for Sakura to follow him. They turned the corner of the apartment building and headed down the street, the brunet pointing out a few places of interest as they walked.

After crossing the street and moving two blocks down, Sakura heard a few excited gasps from the pedestrians they passed, both her and Kiba pausing as the sidewalk traffic stuttered to a stop. Glancing around, he seemed to realize what was going on, spotting something in the distance, and nudged Sakura before pointing up at a nearby building, grinning excitedly to himself.

"Here he comes!"

Gaze traveling to a distant rooftop, Sakura watched as the hero she'd seen on her first day in Mabushii raced across the tops of the buildings, heading in their general direction. He leaped gracefully over a gap in the rooftops caused by an alleyway, long brown hair streaming behind him, and Sakura could pick out a few finer details of his uniform, the sound of distant sirens registering in the back of her mind and making her tense on reflex.

His uniform was entirely white, the high collar of his jacket close to his neck and his mask - a solid visor of sorts that covered the entirety of the upper half of his face before arching down in a point over the top of his nose - hid most of his expression besides his stern frown. The Super was moving quickly and paid little attention to the clusters of watching pedestrians on the street below, his focus on his path over the rooftops.

He passed by within moments and disappeared around a corner, heading in the direction of the distant sirens and leaving the civilians to murmur to themselves. Sakura glanced over at the still-smiling Kiba, eyebrow quirked as she pushed aside the sudden nostalgic feeling in her chest.

"Who was that?"

"Nightingale." He quickly replied, crossing his arms behind his head as they continued down the street, Akamaru sticking close to his side. "One of Mabushii's main heroes. A pretty cool guy to see in action, but he's always so serious, so he's kind of a stick in the mud."

Sakura smiled to herself, hands clasped behind her back as she walked with Kiba - it kind of sounded like he knew this 'Nightingale' personally.

"How many heroes does the city have?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, guiding her around a corner as they reached the end of the block.

"Three official, including Nightingale, but there's a couple unofficial heroes that show up occasionally, some that pass through every once in a while, and a few rookies." Kiba grinned to himself, sending Sakura a wink before nodding at something ahead of them and reaching down to give Akamaru a pat. Sakura glanced across the street to notice a brightly colored building with a couple small groups of people chatting outside the door. It looked like a coffee shop, what with the steaming cups several of the people were holding, but she could smell freshly cooked food from their place across the street.

"That's the place." Said Kiba, answering her unspoken question. "We hang out there a lot; it's pretty cool and they've got a good menu. Though I, ah," He paused, sending her a slightly embarrassed look, "I should warn you. It's themed and some of the people there are kinda... nerdy."

Sakura frowned, quirking an eyebrow his way before taking a closer look at the building as they drew near. She could make out the words "Hero Café" in bold, blocky letters on the sign above the door and she felt her stomach do a flip. She barely had time to send Kiba a suspicious look, eyes narrowed and lips turned down in an unamused frown, before they were crossing the street. The rookie hero held the door open for her with a sheepish grin that quickly turned mischievous at the look on her face and Sakura stepped inside the café.

The smell of food and coffee in the air was inviting but was quickly overpowered by the chatter of the patrons in the building, groups of young adults and teens (and even a few younger kids) seated at tables and booths. The walls were covered in posters and news headlines and photos and logos, all of superheroes known throughout the world. Sakura recognized several of the heroes and even spotted a few candid shots of Cherry Bomb, but, looking around the shop, she realized that the hero theme didn't stop at the walls. The waitstaff members were wearing shirts with various hero logos and donned simple masks and, glancing to the full menu written on the wall behind the register, almost all of the food and drink options were references to different Supers. Various cakes and treats designed after certain heroes rested in a glass display case next to the register and Sakura had a sinking suspicion that more than one of the treats were _puns_. Several of the customers were wearing hero memorabilia (a majority paid homage to Nightingale and a couple other Supers Sakura didn't recognized the names of but assumed were Mabushii's heroes) and a few were even decked out in full cosplay, bent over open laptops and chatting with their companions.

Incredibly overwhelmed, Sakura froze for a moment before she shot Kiba a deadpan look.

"You've _got_ to be joking."

He let out a laugh, grinning as he took her wrist and led her towards the back of the café. They quickly approached a table and Kiba waved in greeting at the pair seated there before guiding her over. The girl, who Sakura assumed was Hinata, had long dark hair that had a purple sheen to it in the light and the oddest eyes she'd ever seen - pale lavender that looked almost ghostly but were definitely lovely and had kind, gentle feeling - and returned the wave before sending the pinkette a shy smile, fidgeting with the sleeves of her purple sweater. To her left was someone who looked rather familiar and it was after Sakura took in his sunglasses and scarf combo that she recognized him as the man she'd seen in the apartment lobby when she moved in. Akamaru quickly approached the girl, tail thumping happily as she scratched behind his ear, and Kiba turned to Sakura, gesturing to his friends.

"This is Shino and Hinata. Guys, this is Sakura."

Hinata fidgeted for a moment but continued to smile in greeting while Shino offered a nod, very reminiscent o their first meeting. Giving the pair a slight wave, Sakura inclined her head towards Shino as she and Kiba took a seat.

"We, ah, met briefly the other day, but its nice to formally meet you both."

Kiba looked surprised and was about to question them further but was interrupted by a waitress who hurried over the moment they sat down. After ordering, the group spent about twenty minutes chatting over their meal and Sakura began to feel less overwhelmed, answering their questions about herself and just generally getting to know her new acquaintances. The rest of the chatter in the café devolved into background noise and Sakura listened attentively as Hinata described a few interesting shops downtown, smiling at her suggestions. Shino, who had been mostly silent, had just started offering her a few tips in regards to the subway when the pinkette heard someone speak behind her, flinching in her seat at their words.

"Cherry Bomb! Right?"

She had to keep herself from jerking to look over her shoulder in surprise, and, instead, calmly turned in her seat, an eyebrow raised curiously. A young man with short, light brown hair was standing fairly close to the table, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

He grinned, pointing to his head.

"Your hair. You must be a Cherry Bomb fan."

Sakura almost instantly relaxed.

Inwardly, she wondered if she should just pas it off as a misunderstanding - not _everyone_ with pink hair was a Cherry Bomb fan - but ultimately decided to just play along, missing Kiba's grin as he watched.

"Ah, yeah, I am."

The newcomer smiled triumphantly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"The pink is difficult to get right, yeah? My kid sister is a _huge_ Cherry Bomb fan and she begged our mom to let her dye her hair for her birthday. It didn't come out exactly right, but she still loved it."

Sakura found herself smiling, adjusting her seat slightly so the rest of the table didn't think she was ignoring them.

"The pastel shade is pretty tricky, yeah." Best to just pretend her hair was dyed, it'd probably draw too much attention if she told them it was her natural color.

Kiba was looking kind of excited, sitting back in his seat as he sipped his drink.

The guy laughed and introduced himself as Soma before continuing the conversation, nodding in greeting to the others but focusing mainly on Sakura. "Dye jobs usually fade out pretty quickly but, dang, your hair is preeetty close to the right shade."

Sakura felt a little insulted, eyes narrowing almost unnoticeably - it was the _perfect_ shade, thank you very much - but let the feeling pass and sent him a weak smile.

"Are you a fan too?"

Grinning, Soma rubbed the back of his head and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'm a general hero enthusiast but, yeah, Cherry Bomb is pretty cool. I kept up pretty regularly with her going-on's 'cause of my sister. She's always reading articles to me and trying to borrow my comics."

The pinkette frowned slightly in confusion, glancing briefly at Shino and Hinata (who were listening patiently as they ate) before finally noticing Kiba's wide grin and looking back at Soma.

"Comics?"

The younger man nodded, rocking on his heels as he replied. "Yeah! I'm a big collector. Got a few Cherry Bomb issues, as well as a lot of other non-Mabushii Supers'."

Sakura looked thoughtful, eyebrows furrowed slightly - she knew that a lot of the more wold-famous heroes had merchandise and comics that circulated amongst fans, but she'd never thought there were ones for Cherry Bomb.

Should she have been receiving royalties for that?

Soma didn't seem to notice her expression and continued, patting the messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"It's a shame that she retired, but the value of my comics are _sure_ to shoot up now that there won't be any new content."

Kiba nearly spat out his drink, choking on his soda for a moment as everyone's attention tunred to him. Hinata reached out worriedly to pat his back and he took a moment to catch his breath, coughing into his fist before shooting Soma a shocked look and glancing between him and Sakura.

" _What_ _?_ She- Cherry Bomb _retired?_ When?!"

Sakura shifted in her seat, a little uncomfortable, but Soma just looked slighlty surprised and replied.

"Yeah, it was, uh- Man, it was _months_ ago that the news got out. There was an entire thread about it in the Shirogane hero forum." Kiba looked incredibly bewildered but Soma continued, missing the way the rookie hero glanced at Sakura. "I've got a cousin over there and, damn, my sister was _bawling_ when he broke the news to her."

Looking away, Sakura examined one of the walls to distract herself, noticing a poster of Kakashi from when he was an active hero.

Kiba sat back, processing the news before finally speaking.

"What... _Why_ did Cherry Bomb retire?"

The pinkette knew the question was directed at her, but she didn't reply, frowning at the wall until Soma replied, the brunet unaware of the look Kiba was giving her as he rocked on his heels and glanced to the ceiling as he thought.

"Well, no one really knows for sure, but there are a few theories..."

Her attention snapped back to him, a pink eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Theories?"

A few other people in the café were listening in on the conversation and there was a murmur of agreement from a few of the other tables. Soma rubbed the back of his head, looking thoughtful and only vaguely aware that people were eavesdropping.

"The biggest theory is that- Well, okay, so there was a lot of analysis over what led up to it, y'know? Fans can get pretty invested haha..." Expression slightly embarrassed, he cleared his throat and continued. "It was pretty soon after her fight with that Dr. Franken-creep-"

" _Kabuto_." Someone from a different table corrected indignantly.

Inwardly, Sakura was a little surprised - she hadn't thought Kabuto was that well-known outside of Shirogane.

Then again, these people were probably pretty intense fans in regards to Supers.

Soma grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Right. After her fight with _Kabuto_. Well, rumor has it that she _killed_ him, so one of the main theories is that she got bored with being a hero. Both of her main villains were gone now, so she must have, y'know, decided her job was done and quietly retired."

Sakura turned her attention down to her glass of water, staring at the floating ice cubes as the memories flooded in, barely aware of the people speaking around her.

" _Some_ people think Cherry Bomb _died_ in the fight." Said one voice, invoking comments from several other people from around the café.

"Nah, that's bull. I have a friend in Shirogane and she saw her in action like a month after the fight."

"Apparently she looked pretty unenthusiastic though..."

"Maybe she's just taking a break?"

"It wasn't an official announcement but everyone's pretty sure she retired."

"No one's seen her in _months._ "

Kiba was watching her with this strange look, slightly distracted by the conversations going on around them, but didn't miss the way she suddenly tensed at the next comment.

"What about her partner?"

"Mind Jumper?"

"Yeah, she disappeared after the fight too."

"Supposedly she was rushed to the hospital..."

"Some people say she's dead too."

Sakura flinched and turned to stare at the wall again, aware of Soma's voice replying.

"That's one of the explanations people have for _why_ she supposedly killed Dr. Creepy-"

" _Kabuto!_ "

"-Whatever," Soma, ran his hand through his hair before continuing, shooting the guy an irritated look. "Like, Cherry Bomb could be pretty vicious but she's not a killer. But I could totally see her taking someone out in a revenge strike if they killed Mind Jumper. _Everyone_ knows how close those two were."

Another murmur of agreements and the pinkette was momentarily surprised, a bitter smile passing over her face as her eyes roved over the walls for something to distract herself with. Almost instantly, her gaze landed on a shot of Mind Jumper, the blonde posing for what was probably a photograph from a fan, and Sakura's body jerked as her heart began to ache once more, dropping her hands to her lap to clench her fists and squeezing her eyes shut. The conversation continued around her and she listened almost unwillingly, not noticing the worried look Kiba was sending her. Inwardly, she couldn't help but laugh. They were wrong, she'd only _aided_ in Kabuto's death - she hadn't landed the killing blow.

"That's so depressing though. Maybe they _both_ justretired."

"They made a kick-ass team."

"They were such a cute couple!"

Sakura glanced over slightly as she heard Hinata suddenly speak, the shy girl fidgeting with her fingers as she smiled to herself.

"I-I'm rather partial to the theory that they, uhm, both quietly retired and secretly eloped..."

Kiba shot Hinata a shocked look - obviously she'd been aware of Cherry Bomb's retirement while he hadn't.

Several people voiced their agreements, but there was a sudden scoff amongst the crowd, one younger man frowning as he pushed up his glasses.

"Cherry Bomb and Mind Jumper's relationship was _strictly_ professional."

Sakura actually shot the guy an unimpressed look - she and Ino might never have actually put an official label on their relationship, but their feelings were never just platonic.

Almost instantly, there was a chorus of laughs and the guy shrank in his seat in embarrassment, frowning to himself as people just seemed to ignore his comment. It seemed to have broken the mood somewhat, however, and the crowd dispersed slightly, returning to their own tables and, inwardly, Sakura was thankful that the conversation had ended. Turning back to the table, she finally caught Kiba's eye and noticed the way he was watching her. She could guess the questions that were rolling around in his mind but she had no intention of answering them right now, so, instead, she looked at Soma, who was still standing close to their table and chatting with Hinata.

"You mentioned comics? What kind do you have?"

The brunet perked up, sending her a grin as he adjusted his messenger bag.

"Yeah! I actually have some with me; the café is a good place to make trades with other enthusiasts." Pausing, he turned and started shifting through his bag, muttering to himself. "I've actually got a couple Cherry Bomb issues with me, hang on- Aha! There it is."

Facing her once more, Soma pulled out a comic book, carefully removing it from its plastic sleeve as he showed it to her. "This is one of my favorite issues, to be honest."

Kiba, who had been frowning down at his drink, glanced up and caught a glimpse of the comic, sitting up a bit as he smiled.

"Oh, hey! I know that one. It's from when she was in Mabushii, right?"

Soma nodded enthusiastically and Sakura frowned down at the comic, accepting it from the brunet and examining the cover. So the comics were artistic renditions of _actual_ battles Supers had? Her fingers trailed over the cover art of herself, listening to Kiba and Soma talk about a moment from her past that she remembered _explicitly_ well.

"Cherry Bomb rarely left Shirogane and, man, I wish I could have seen her in person when she visited our city."

"That's when I met her! She was chasing down one of her villains, right?"

"The Scorpion was practically her _archenemy,_ but yeah! I'd _kill_ to have a eye-witness account of that fight, damn."

Heart pounding, Sakura opened the book and flipped through the pages, letting the memories flood in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is a look into Sakura's past and the unofficial introduction of a certain villain

**Author's Note:**

> decided to finally post this here since im working on the next chapter rn
> 
> Sakura is hella pansexual


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